Maybe if we quit fighting stupid wars, paying contractors ridiculous money to do soldier work, and took our government back from Wall Street and the defense industry, we could have a strong defense within our ability to pay for it.
Originally Posted by CuteOldGuy
Its the spending. Two Arleigh Burke class destroyers can be built for the cost of one experimental Zumwalt class and still have 300 million left over as a down payment for a third one. So the plan is now to build three (3) Zumwalts to replace how many Burkes instead of building seven (7) Burkes which we know will work and are the best destroyers on the high seas. Plus we will have to wait a couple more years for the Zumwalts to hit the water and be tested (with cost overruns) before they can begin defending the nation.
Same thing for carriers; the Gerald Ford class carrier cost over twice what a Nimitz class carrier costs. The Gerald Ford has been under construction for the last 11 years. They plan to create 10 more but that will probably drop considerably as their technology is becoming obsolete as we speak. Over twice the price, more gee whiz tech, and a smaller crew (to repair battle damage and the like)....I hope they know what they're doing because we will pay the price along with our sailors.